Pokémon 101
by Frozen Comet
Summary: A boy in a whole new region captures his first Pokémon and gets shipped off to a boarding school so he can became an awesome trainer. Status: Ch. 4 up, Ch. 5 in progress!
1. The Face of Evil

Shelby Cloyster: Hello, everybody! I'm Shelby Cloyster, the energetic Pokémon fanatic bringing you his first ever fanfic! Yay! Just as a formality, I don't own Pokémon, but all characters in this story belong to me, so try to use them without my permission and I'll sue. Anyway, this fanfic will have seven parts, one for each year our main character, Jerry Thompson, spends at the Pokémon Training Academy on the outskirts of Totalo. Totalo is a region _I_ created for my own purposes, and it is my setting of choice in all of my fanfics. So, follow the tale of Jerry and his pet Zigzagoon, Spikes, which begins with the first chapter in my first ever fanfic. And, here it is!

* * *

Chapter 1: The Face of Evil

The exhausted Zigzagoon tore through the forest, trying to escape the panting and snarling behind him. As the rain pattered against his fur, he knew he was running out of time and energy, but he had to keep going, or else…

Suddenly, one of the Houndours that had been chasing him materialized right in front of the poor Zigzagoon. Jet black with an orange face, the Houndour was covered in what had appeared to be armor. It _had_ to be armor, because the Zigzagoon's Pin Missile attack couldn't penetrate it. The small, brown, spiky Pokémon looked with remorse at one of the pack that had attacked him, as if pleading for forgiveness. However, the Houndour didn't seem to notice, as it just cocked its head behind the Zigzagoon, as if egging it into turning around. The Zigzagoon glanced back for a second, only to see the rest of the Houndour pack closing in on him. The Zigzagoon knew he had was about to run out of energy, so he kneeled as best a quadruped Pokémon could, and bowed his head, waiting for it to end.

The terror was momentarily broken by a small, blue Pokémon with a green weed growing out of its head. The Oddish, as it was called, was strutting around on its two legs, not swinging its arms in the breeze because, well, it didn't have any. It turned when it reached the lead Houndour, the one who had cornered the Zigzagoon in this terrible situation, and said, "Oddish odd."

The lead Houndour blinked at the Oddish, not knowing what to make of it, then decided to turn to his comrades for help. After receiving an encouraging "Ourruff! Ourruff!" from who appeared to be his right-hand ma…I mean dog, the Houndour swooped down at the Oddish and knocked it out with a single Bite attack.

The Zigzagoon was stunned at the Houndour's seemingly barbaric behavior. Terror coursed through the little Pokémon's body as he peered into the cold, dark eyes of his pursuer, which were so evil the Zigzagoon chose to peer into the empty eyes of the fainted Oddish. However, this option rapidly disappeared as the stunned voice of an adult male human yelled, "Oddish! Return!" As a jet of red light engulfed the Oddish's body, sucking it into an unseen ball, the Zigzagoon chose to return its gaze to the cold Dark-Fire type dog.

What the Zigzagoon saw stunned him. The Houndour, normally pitch-black, was glowing an eerie white. The Zigzagoon couldn't make out the Houndour's features, but the basic shape was there – until the shape gained horns, grew about two feet in height, elongated its own tail and snout, and gained more armor (if that was even possible). As the energy slowly faded from the poor Zigzagoon's body, he gazed upon the enormous dog, listening as a boy's voice yelled, "Get out of hear, you stupid Houndoom!" Unsure of what had just happened, the Zigzagoon faded out in peace, probably for the final time.

* * *

So, what did you think? Yeah, I know, kinda suspenseful, but I like cliffhangers. Don't worry, the next chapter is much longer and even has a battle sequence! Yay! Anyway, once I get five reviews, I'll post the next chapter, so please, read and review! No flames, though, please! Happy reading! 


	2. The First of Many

Hello again, everyone! I've decided to post this anyway, even though I haven't gotten a _single_ review yet, but hey, life goes on, eh? My E-mail's currently down, so E-mail all reviews to my friend, Mylifestories. Be sure to check out his fanfic The Nido king as well. Like him, I do not own Pokémon, but I own Jerry and all my other characters, as well as Totalo. Give me some time to work on Chapter 3, but until then, read, review, and enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 2: The First of Many

Jerry Thompson looked in shock at the Houndoom in front of him. He couldn't believe it was about to destroy the poor, weak Zigzagoon. Jerry nervously glanced through the raindrops into rest of the forest to see if anyone could help the poor Pokémon, but there was no one there. Jerry realized he was the only one who could save the vulnerable Zigzagoon, so he had to think fast. It was a shame, since quick thinking had never been one of his strong points.

The day had started simply enough. After a hearty breakfast, a morning of reading his Pokémon books, and a quick lunch, Jerry had gone into the woods outside his house to play. Normally, he wasn't allowed to go into the forest, but his father had allowed it after letting Jerry borrow an extremely powerful Heracross. An enormous blue stag beetle with four legs and an affection for tree sap, Heracross had the distinction of being the only Bug-type Pokémon that was also a Fighting-type. Jerry admired his father's Heracross, and desperately wanted a Pokémon of his own. It looked like the teenager was about to get his chance.

Jerry pulled one of two Pokéballs from his belt, clicking the button in the center and feeling the ball grow larger in his hand. His first intention was to try and capture the Zigzagoon, and if that failed, then challenge the Houndoom to a battle and hope he won. The red and white ball flew from his hand as Jerry let it go, soaring towards the Zigzagoon – until an angry Houndoom knocked the ball out of the way.

An extremely annoyed Heracross popped out, yelled something in Heracrossish at the Houndoom, and charged in with a Megahorn attack.

A simple Faint Attack from Houndoom caused Heracross' Megahorn to miss, doing the slightest bit of damage to Heracross. Heracross whirled around to face his opponent, focused himself, and landed a Brick Break on the Houndoom, kung-fu style.

The karate chop disoriented the Houndoom, doing quite a bit of damage to the poor dog. _"Obviously,"_ thought Jerry to himself. _"Houndoom's a Dark-type, so Fighting-type attacks do extra damage. Factor in Brick Break's high base damage and Heracross' STAB, I'm surprised that Houndoom's still standing. Maybe I should give Heracross some direction._ Heracross, use Tackle!"

Heracross made to taunt Jerry when it was hit by a Tackle from Houndoom. An extremely angry Heracross wheeled around and prepared to attack.

Jerry decided it was time to give some more direction. "Heracross, use Horn Drill!"

Ah, Horn Drill: one of the most vastly useful moves a Pokémon can know, albeit one of the most inaccurate. It automatically knocks out the opposing Pokémon. The only problem with this move is that it only makes contact with the foe 30 of the time. Technically, all you need for Horn Drill is a big horn, and a little bit of power behind it. Oh, and only certain Pokémon can use it. Heracross tried, he really did, but try as he might, he couldn't land a Horn Drill. This is because Heracross don't _learn_ Horn Drill. Thus, Heracross tried stubbornly to use an attack it couldn't learn and was completely helpless when it was burned by a hyperactive Ember attack from Houndoom.

Jerry could notice the pain Heracross was in. Who couldn't? Even rain can't quell a third-degree burn; in fact, they make them worse. The only thing that could heal Heracross' burn right now was a Burn Heal, and Jerry didn't happen to have one on him – except for the one he kept in his Pokémon First-Aid Kit that he always brought with him in the woods (in case he spotter an injured Pokémon that needed assistance). After calling Heracross over and healing it of his burn, Jerry was under the assumption that Heracross trusted his trainer's son and would follow his advice.

Boy, was Jerry wrong!

"Heracross, use Endure, then Reversal!"

An ingenious combination from one so young, yet with so little experience. Considering the fact that Houndoom was about to use Flamethrower on Heracross, Endure would allow Heracross to emerge from the attack with enough health left to keep battling. This minimal amount of health would max-out the power of Reversal, a Fighting-type move that gets stronger as the user gets weaker. Considering the fact that Heracross would be down to minimal health after that Flamethrower and Houndoom was weak against Fighting-type moves, the dog would be down shortly after its final attack. In theory.

What Heracross chose to do instead was aim a Megahorn point-blank at the Houndoom and instantly K.O. it. Ignoring orders, the Heracross streamed through the Flamethrower attack, missed his target completely, and lost his last bit of health from the resulting crash.

However, the Megahorn did hit two of the Houndour, who fainted from its sheer power. The Houndoom and the rest of his pack decided to retreat to take care of their fellows, acknowledging their defeat and leaving the area with a final glare at Jerry.

Now, only one task remained. Picking up Heracross' Pokéball, Jerry shouted, "Heracross, return!" As a jet of red light sucked the tired Pokémon into its ball, Jerry muttered, "Great job, Heracross. You deserve a good rest. And now, for my final trick."

Jerry pulled the second Pokéball from his belt, clicked the button in the center, and felt the ball grow larger in his hand. He looked sorrowfully at the Zigzagoon, hoping his father could save it. With all his might, Jerry threw the ball towards the Zigzagoon, muttering, "C'mon, little fella! We only want to help you!"

A red beam of light erupted from the button on the ball and shot towards the injured Zigzagoon, engulfing it. The red light shaped like the small Pokémon slowly thinned out, retracting into the ball, which fell to the ground.

The ball swayed from side to side once, twice, three times…

And with a resounding click, stopped moving and settled down.

* * *

Well, whadaya think? Remember, E-mail all your reviews to my friend Mylifestories, because I won't receive them on my E-mail. I can't wait until Chapter 3, Laughter is the Best Medicine, because then that's when I announce the Totalo Pokémon Academy! See ya then! 


	3. Laughter is the Best Medicine

Hello, non-reviewing fans of "Pokémon 101"! Shelby Cloyster is back (finally), and I've updated (finally)! I've been busy with writer's block and final exams, but summer's here and I'll be updating as often as possible. Anyway, I've got more great news: at the end of each chapter, I'll be giving details about one of the new Totalo Pokémon I've created (I've only done about 13 so far, but by the time I run out of those, I'll have even more). Also, dialogue in italics is what Pokémon are saying, and dialogue in bold is Jerry's Pokédex talking. Underlining is used for emphasis. Finally, the reason this chapter took me so long is because it is the _longest_ possible chapter for this story, and hopefully I won't have to write another one this enormous. So, here is Chapter Three: Laughter is the Best Medicine! (Yeah, I know there's not much laughter in it, but who cares? It's the best I could come up with!)

Chapter Three: Laughter is the Best Medicine

Patricia Thompson was worried. This wasn't unusual; Patricia worried all the time. How could she not, with her husband working at Nelphor Corporation and her son playing in the woods where wild Pokémon roamed. Patricia was worried for two reasons: Nelphor Corp. Headquarters was in Lyyme City, which was still a far walk from the Thompson's house in Nestenew Town. Granted, she knew Christopher liked to fly home from work on the back of his Pidgeot, but it was raining out and her husband was bound to get soaked to the core, and what if the rain weighed down too much on the poor Pokémon's back and they crashed in the woods? Many kinds of Pokémon inhabited Routes 201 and 202, and Patricia worried that no matter how weak they were, they'd be no match for her husband if his only Pokémon was a downed Pidgeot. Normally, he'd have brought along his Heracross, but the forecast had said nothing about rain, so he'd given the little horned Pokémon to their son for the day. "If Heracross is guarding you, any Pokémon you meet in the woods will be no threat," her husband had said. But Jerry _knew_ that he was supposed to come straight inside when it started to rain whether he was playing in the woods or not. This was the second thing bothering Patricia, and perhaps the most important one. If her son wasn't home soon, he'd be in a load of trouble.

An enormous bird landed in the Thompson's front yard. Unlike most Pidgeots, Christopher Thompson's was considered "shiny." Shiny Pokémon have different DNA than most of their species and are extremely rare, as this "shine" isn't passed on from mother to child. So what's different between Shiny Pokémon and regular Pokémon? Shiny Pokémon are different in their coloration. For example, a regular Pidgeot had brown feathers, a white chest, and red and yellow feathers forming a "hairstyle" of sorts on their head. Christopher's Pidgeot, on the other hand, had gold feathers everywhere but her back, which was still brown. As Christopher returned his Pidgeot, he noticed a shadowy figure creeping into his house, so he rushed forward to protect his wife and son.

Patricia was completely surprised to see her son trudge in through the door without so much as a "Hello, Mom. Sorry I'm home so late!" Her husband was equally surprised to, seconds afterwards, burst through the door to discover that it was his _son_ snooping around their front yard, and was currently laying a blanket down on the living room floor. Before Jerry's flustered mother could ask, "Young man, where have you been?" and before Jerry's equally confused father could question why Jerry was sneaking around outside, Jerry pulled a Pokéball from his belt. As Jerry enlarged it in his hand, he imagined the expressions on his parents' faces when he showed them what he'd done. His mother, he mused, would be furious at him for bringing a wild Pokémon into the house, but the fact that he'd actually caught it in a Pokéball would stun her even more. His father, on the other hand, would be more pleased with his son's handiwork, but would also be bewildered by the fact that Jerry had actually _caught his first Pokémon_. Deciding not to keep them hanging any longer, Jerry extended his arm, causing the red beam of light to erupt from the ball. The beam took on the form of a very badly hurt Zigzagoon, whom Jerry started to doctor right away. After bandaging two of the Zigzagoon's limbs, Jerry looked up to see his parents' facial expressions exactly the way he had predicted them. What he didn't expect, however, was his father to turn to his mother and say, "Honey, it's time."

* * *

"Pokémon School?" questioned Jerry. "Pokémon Schools are for chumps who don't know how to battle. _I_ know how to battle, and we would've beaten that Houndoom with ease if weren't for that #!ing Heracross who wouldn't listen to me."

Jerry had explained the whole situation to his parents: witnessing his first evolution, battling the Houndoom, capturing the injured Zigzagoon, and coming home to doctor it. However, his parents now insisted on sending him to some stupid Pokémon School so he could learn basics he already knew. Or so Jerry thought.

"First of all, honey, don't swear. It's impolite for an eleven-year-old to use those kinds of words. Second of all, the Totalo Pokémon Academy isn't just a regular Pokémon School. It's an elite boarding academy where you'll learn to become an excellent trainer. You may think you know a lot now, but it's nothing compared to what you'll learn at the Pokémon Academy."

"Your mother is right, son. This is a good thing for you. You'll receive a second Pokémon, in addition to your Zigzagoon, when you get there that will be yours to keep forevermore, based on a random test. You'll also learn things about Pokémon that I could never teach you. Why, I don't know half of the things you'll learn in your first year. You'll be studying in subjects such as Pokémon Health & Fitness, Pokémon Coordination, Battling Techniques, History of Pokémon, and many others I don't even know."

"But why can't I just learn from you, Dad? You could train me, and you already have two Pokémon of your own."

Jerry was beginning to doubt the usefulness of this school. His father was already quite an accomplished Pokémon trainer, having actually beaten most of Totalo's ten Gym Leaders. But then his father pulled out a brochure from the Totalo Pokémon Academy, and everything changed.

The Academy's grounds were beautiful, with a sparkly, crystal-clear lake and an amazing forest. The forest, apparently, had wild Pokémon roaming in it that could be caught with the permission of a teacher. Classrooms looked wonderful, and everybody in the picture had excellent-looking Pokémon. Everything about the school seemed different than what Jerry had imagined it would be, so he dropped the brochure and asked his parents, "When do I enroll?"

* * *

The little Zigzagoon opened its eyes to find Jerry kneeling over him. The little Tinyraccoon Pokémon looked so sweet as it opened its eyes, yawned, and stared at the strange boy watching over him.

It did not look so sweet when it launched a Pin Missile attack at the boy's face.

As the sharp barbs stung the boy, the Zigzagoon secretly laid three Spikes attacks right in front of himself. This little maneuver would hurt any new Pokémon the boy sent into battle. He hated using the "secret weapons" he had learned at birth, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

Having recovered from the Pin Missile, the boy walked up to the Zigzagoon…slipping on a banana peel, of all things, and landing right in the middle of the spikes.

"Yeeeeeeoooooooowwwwwwwwch!" cried Jerry. He had never felt this much pain (save the Pin Missile from a few moments ago). He ran for the bathroom, crying in pain, but the intensity of said pain had caused him to close his eyes momentarily, so he didn't see that the bathroom door was shut until he actually ran into it.

The Zigzagoon stared at the human, wondering if such antics were normal of their species, decided they weren't, and began to laugh hysterically.

He was still laughing fifteen minutes later when Jerry returned from the bathroom, skin still sore from picking out all the Spikes and Pin Missiles. Seeing the Pokémon laugh at Jerry's misfortune was pretty upsetting.

"Alright, you little troublemaker, stop laughing. I'm not quite used to you, you're not quite used to me, and I don't want to have to bring in my father's Heracross."

_ "OK, OK, I'll stop laughing. It's just that seeing you fall like that was so darn funny! Hehe, I'll need to remember that for times of sorrow, that fall was gold!"_

"Well, that fall wasn't gold for me, and if you don't stop laughing in two seconds you're going to be experiencing a time of sorrow!"

_ "Well, excuse me, Mr. Sunshine, but…did you just understand what I said? I mean, normally humans just hear us saying 'Ziga Zagoon' or something, but you…what are you?"_

"I'm human, in case you haven't figured that out, and I can understand what Pokémon are saying. It all happened when…oh, forget it, let's just cut to the flashback sequence."

* * *

_You have accessed Jerry's memory banks. What would you like to do?_

**_Search: Espeon; Cross-Reference: Understanding Pokémon; Cross-Reference: Birth_**

_Searching…………………………………………………………_

_I'm sorry, memory is inaccessible. Reason: Early childhood, memory banks not established at the time. Please try again._

_What would you like to do?_

_**Exit.**_

* * *

"OK, so I guess I'll just have to tell you manually. When I was a baby, I went into cardiac arrest and almost died. My mother's Espeon, Sofia, used some sort of psychic trick to save me. In doing so, a rather unusual side effect occurred. For some reason, I can understand Pokémon. Sometimes it can get rather annoying, as it's rather unnerving to hear Pokémon swear. So, why'd you just use Pin Missile on me? I know for a fact that a Zigzagoon at such a low level as you couldn't use it. And what was with those Spikes? Zigzagoons can't even learn that!"

_ "How'd you know that?"_

"Do you really want to go through another flashback sequence?"

_ "Well, it was kinda funny…"_

"Well, you asked for it…"

* * *

_You have accessed Jerry's memory banks. What would you like to do?_

**_Search: Pokédex; Cross-Reference: Christmas; Cross-Reference: 1998_**

_Searching…………………………………………………………_

_File Found. Uploading…………………………………………………………_

_File Uploaded. Commencing Playback…………………………………………………………_

_Playback Commenced.

* * *

_

_ "Zooming in on a small boy sitting under a Christmas tree, we see he's very excited with all the Pokémon-themed gifts he's received. Suddenly a woman comes up to him, holding a small box-shaped package (well, duh, all these packages appear to have been box-shaped). She hands it to him, saying politely, 'Here's another one from your father and I.'_

_ 'Oh, boy, another present! Let's see what it is!' shouts the young boy. He tears the wrapping paper off the box, and opens it to reveal a small computer the size and shape of a small calculator, but it folds open to double its size. It has a small scanner in the front, two large screens, and a small retractable keyboard. The boy looks gleefully at the small computer, an enormous smile on his face that is only disrupted by a sharp intake of breath. 'Yippee, a Pokédex! This is the best present ever!'_

_ 'That's what he said about the last ten presents!' a man whispers to the woman._

_ 'I heard that!' yells the boy. 'But this one really is! It comes with a Field Scanner, a View Screen combined with a Text Viewer, and a…'_

_ 'OK, enough about the special features! Is it what you asked for?'_

_ 'Definitely, definitely what I asked for! I can't wait to try it out…'

* * *

_

_End of memory sequence. What would you like to do?_

_**Exit.

* * *

**_

"Well, how's that for a story?"

_ "Very interesting, to say the least. Can I see it in action?"_

"If you insist," Jerry replied. He took out the Pokédex from his medical kit and typed in "Zigzagoon" by extending the hidden keyboard. A staccato, metallic voice filled the room, while text simultaneously scrolled across the Text Viewer, a screen that shows what the Pokédex is saying, in the event that the user is deaf or simply can't hear what the Pokédex is saying due to some loud noise.

** "Zigzagoon, the Tinyraccoon Pokémon. Zigzagoon will restlessly wander anywhere because they are curious. A Zigzagoon will become interested in anything it happens to see. The hair on a Zigzagoon's back is bristly, so it will rub this hard back hair on a tree to mark its territory. This Pokémon will play dead to fool foes in battle. Attacks learnt: Tackle and Growl at birth, Tail Whip at Lv. 5, Headbutt at Lv. 9, Sand-Attack at Lv. 13, Odor Sleuth at Lv. 17, Mud Sport at Lv. 21, Pin Missile at Lv. 25, Covet at Lv. 29, Flail at Lv. 33, Rest at Lv. 37, and Belly Drum at Lv. 41. Moves through breeding: Charm, Pursuit, Substitute, Tickle, Trick."**

_ "I take it that next you're going to scan me with that thing?"_

"That's the general idea."

** "Zigzagoon, the Tinyraccoon Pokémon. Zigzagoon will restlessly wander anywhere because they are curious. A Zigzagoon will become interested in anything it happens to see. The hair on a Zigzagoon's back is bristly, so it will rub this hard back hair on a tree to mark its territory. This Pokémon will play dead to fool foes in battle. This Zigzagoon is at Lv. 2. This Zigzagoon knows Tackle, Growl, Pin Missile, Spikes, Flail, Rest, and Belly Drum. How this is possible I do not know."**

"How kind of you to finally get a sense of humor on me. OK, Zigzagoon…wait, I can't just call you Zigzagoon. Do you have a name?"

_ "No, I was never given one because my people considered me a freak and decided I didn't deserve a name."_

"Why'd they do that?"

_ "Well, in that case, I suppose we could do another flashback…but give me a name first. I don't know how the Flashback Machine will react to having to deal with a nameless Zigzagoon."_

"Well, you seem to like attacks that have to do with Spikes, so, why not call you Spikes?"

_ "I like it. It's very different. It suits me, as I am different from normal Zigzagoons…"

* * *

_

_You have accessed Spikes' memory banks. What would like to do?_

_**Search: Namelessness; Cross-Reference: Pin Missile; Cross-Reference: Birth**_

_Searching…………………………………………………………_

_File Found. Uploading…………………………………………………………_

_File Uploaded. Commencing Playback…………………………………………………………_

_Playback Commenced.

* * *

_

_ "A tranquil forest scene is interrupted by a clearing where two Zigzagoon prepare to battle. One of them begins with a straight-out Tackle attack, is surprised to see the other one drumming on its belly. A crowd of Zigzagoon watch on, horrified because one of the young ones is using Belly Drum…a move they can't learn for many more levels…_

_ Feeling a whole lot stronger yet a whole lot weaker, the second Zigzagoon charges at his opponent, not using a Tackle attack, but rather a Pin Missile, something else newborn Zigzagoon can't use. It then hits its surprised opponent, knocking him out. The tiny Zigzagoon celebrates by pelting it with rounds of a Spikes attack, which Zigzagoon aren't even supposed to know, and finally falling asleep with a Rest attack in order to regain health._

_ Two female Zigzagoon, one clearly older than the other, then start talking. The younger one looks worried, but the older one looks…well, there's no other way to accurately describe how she looks, other than to say that she looks pissed off._

_ "Are you sure you don't know what that…thing's father is, Giselle?" begins the older one._

_ "Mother, don't say that! So I don't know who his father is, does it matter? He's my son!"_

_ "A son who is a freak! You saw the moves he used on my granddaughter, those moves are not normal for a Zigzagoon his age! He should only being tackling and growling at his opponents, and even if he were using something else, like Pursuit, we'd at least know he had a respectable father!"_

_ "How could his father be respectable? I became a mother in the middle of the night, while I was asleep! The only person who knows who my son's father is would be the father himself, and he became a father by…by…"_

_ "Dear, I know your upset about what happened, but we can't help that. The best thing we can do is get rid of your son and pretend this never happened."_

_ "Can I at least give him the honor of having a name?"_

_ "He is a disgrace and doesn't deserve a name! No, take that abomination out of here, and don't come back until he's either dead or in the hands of some trainer!"_

_ "Fine, fine…" grumbles Giselle as she leads her son away._

_ "Mom, where are we going?" asks the young Zigzagoon, having finally woken up from his nap. He is surprised to find his mother attacking him with Pin Missiles and Covets, so understands when she says, "Just Rest, little one. Everything will be fine soon enough." He walks off with his mother, uses Rest, and falls asleep.

* * *

_

_ When he woke up, his mother was running off as a pack of Houndour stood over him. He took one out with a Pin Missile and three Flails, but gradually their Ember attacks were wearing him away. One even knew Flamethrower, and after a few close calls and a lot of running, the Zigzagoon gradually got away. However, soon the pack closed in on him, and, after a rather unfortunate incident with an Oddish, the Houndour and their new Houndoom leader looked ready to kill…

* * *

_

_End of memory sequence. What would you like to do?_

_**Exit.

* * *

**_

_ "…That's basically my life so far. The rest of it you've been present for. I know, I'm the result of a…very bad thing…and…if you don't want me because I'm a mutant freak, then I'll just leave and see if that Houndoom still wants a piece of me."_ At the point where Spikes remembered the circumstances of his birth, he started to cry.

"As your trainer, I cannot in good consciousness allow you to face a Houndoom at whose knows what level. You are only at level 2; I still don't know how you managed to defeat that Houndour in your flashback. We are going to train and train and train, probably not until you reach level 13. I am attending the Totalo Pokémon Academy, and I have no idea how strong the trainers there are. I'm not sure if you get in with or without a Pokémon, but I will have to pass some sort of test and get another Pokémon. I have to get you in the best shape you can be in, as I have no idea how difficult this test will be. So, come on, Spikes, it's time to train!"

* * *

Not bad, was it? Yes, I know I should have "conscious" instead of "consciousness" in the last paragraph, but I always get those two mixed up and I thought it sounded funny.

This chapter's new Pokémon is Nestling, the Fledgling Pokémon. It's basically a newborn bird incapable of flight, but it can be very useful as it grows older and evolves. It's also the second Ground/Flying Type Pokémon in existance (Gligar is the first), so it can learn such moves as Sandstorm and Dig. It's physical description: basically just imagine a fluffy, rather small Pidgey with feathers of a light brown color and a beak like that of finch with...er, a rather large beak. Itwon't make an appearence in this fanfic, but it will have a fair few in my upcoming fanfic that doesn't have a name as of yet.

And now, for a small preview of the next chapter, Rival Arrival: Jerry arrives at the Pokémon Academy, where he makes new friends...and an enemy. Can Spikes defeat this boy's Pokémon, or was learning a TM not enough? And what is this admission test everybody keeps talking about, and how are Torkoals and Tangelas involved?


	4. Rival Arrival

Hello again, non-reviewing fans of Pokémon 101! Shelby Cloyster is back, and you're probably wondering why it takes me so long. I am a very slow writer, and these things take time for me. Chapter 1 was only a page long on my computer, Chapter 2 was two pages, Chapter 3 was six pages, and this one was eight pages! Whew! On a similar note: thanks for the review, allokai, and I noticed another error myself. I'll try and fix them as soon as I figure out how.

Anyway, I have some news: when I officially announce that this fanfic is completed, I'll start another one to actually close this year of Jerry's at the Pokémon Academy. It'll be super long and really interesting and will always end with Jerry catching at least one Pokémon. Any suggestions on what Pokémon my other characters should have will be greatly appreciated, but enough of my blabbing. As they say in show business, on with the show!

* * *

Chapter 4: Rival Arrival

Spikes and Jerry had first met at the end of June, and the first day of school at the Pokémon Academy was September first. Every day, Jerry would take Spikes out for a mile-long run to help build up his most important stat: Speed. This was Jerry's theory: the faster Spikes could move, the less likely his opponents would be to avoid Spikes' attacks. This theory was tested in battle with the Pokémon on Route 201. After Spikes was elevated to Level 3, Jerry discovered that battling certain Pokémon raised certain stats. Besides the running exercises, Spikes was only allowed to battle certain Pokémon in order to raise his Speed, but for some levels they battled other Pokémon to raise Spikes' second most important stat: HP (Hit Points; the more Hit Points, the more attacks Spikes could endure in battle). When Spikes was trying to raise his HP, he would battle nothing but Caterpie, Hoothoot, Wurmple, Nestling, and Larvunda. Otherwise, he would battle Weedle, Pidgey, Rattata, Spearow, and other Zigzagoon in order to raise his Speed. However, once Spikes past Level 12, he realized the importance of the Attack stat, which would increase the power behind his physical attacks. After explaining this to Jerry, they spent a week battling Pokémon that would help raise the Attack stat (Sentret, Spinarak, Poochyena, and Sheaver). After two months of training, Spikes knew all the moves he previously knew, as well as Tail Whip, Headbutt, Sand-Attack, and Iron Tail.

Perhaps the most interesting moment of the summer was what Jerry called "The Iron-Tail Incident." Fed up with his Pidgeot falling victim to super-charged electrical attacks, Christopher Thompson was rooting through his TM case, trying to find a move to teach the golden bird that would remedy this problem. At that moment, Spikes skidded into the room, jumped on the couch, fell off, and smashed headfirst into Chris' favorite Technical Machine (hereafter referred to as a TM): TM-23 Iron Tail. The information was assimilated into Spikes' brain, breaking the TM in the process. At that moment, Jerry skidded into the room, saw what had happened, and said, "Guess we shouldn't have continued the speed training in the house, huh?"

The only reason Jerry wasn't grounded for the incident was that every time someone tried to enact a punishment, Spikes smacked them with an Iron Tail. Needless to say, the Thompson parents were very happy when September 1st came.

* * *

"Beautiful, isn't it?" asked Jerry to Spikes. "It's just like in the brochure." 

_"I'll say. I'm certainly glad to be here…since we have nowhere else to go."_

"I was surprised Mom and Dad drove off so fast. They barely said good-bye."

_"Parents. What are you gonna do? Remember, my mom abandoned me when I was barely born, like two months ago. Even though you're my trainer, you're the only real parent I've ever had."_

"Stop being so touchy-feely or I'll pitch you into that lake."

_"Uh-huh. I know Iron Tail, remember? Or did you forget the 27 times I smacked your parents across the face with a metallic, spiky tail?"_

"Point taken. Forgive me and I'll forgive you."

"Who're you talking to?"

Quite suddenly and unexpectedly, another boy came over the hill. He was about 5'8" in height and was wearing a T-shirt with blue and white stripes, not to mention cream-colored shorts. He was wearing red tennis shoes that had seen better days and were two sizes too small. His brown hair was rumpled, and part of it fell between his two brown eyes. You'd have figured he was a normal pre-teen if it wasn't for the single, solitary Pokéball hanging from his belt and the tattered backpack he was holding.

"I said who are you talking to?"

"I don't talk to strangers," Jerry retorted. "Introduce yourself and I might answer."

"You don't have to be rude." The boy extended his hand. "Dewey Bronson, how do you do?"

Jerry sighed and shook his hand. "Very well, thank you. Name's Jerry Thompson, and I was talking to my Zigzagoon, Spikes."

"You talk to your Pokémon?" Dewey said quite flatly.

"You have a problem with that?"

"Nah. I'm just a little flustered because mine does nothing but sleep. If you could talk to him and maybe…"

"Another Bronson, eh? Just what this school needs…"

Jerry and Dewey were interrupted by a boy in a sweater vest. His eyes were rather squinty, and his nice clothes were rather oddly accentuated by the Pokéball, Pokédex, PokéNav, and money satchel hanging from his belt. Like Jerry and Dewey, he was wearing a backpack, but it looked like someone had recently spent a great deal of money on it for this boy. In fact, everything from his enormous glasses to his Armani loafers seemed to be extremely expensive and brand new, and anybody would've written him off as a Junior Nelphor Executive if it weren't for the Pokémon-related gear he had with him. Jerry immediately began to dislike this boy, and hoping to Ho-Oh that they wouldn't be sharing a dorm room.

"Back off, DeSoto or…"

"You two know each other?" asked Jerry quizzically.

"Obviously. Bronson and I attended elementary school together, and I'm surprised his low-income family was able to pay the expensive tuition here. Hopefully you'll make the right choice and stay away from riffraff like him; I'd be happy to point out the others like him."

Dewey was mumbling to himself, but this mumbling rapidly grew so loud, "DeSoto" could obviously hear it. "Lousy rotten good-for-nothing swanky rich know-it-all…just because someone is from a low-income family doesn't mean they can't attend a good school…I got in here on a scholarship, you'd have to _buy_ one your battling skills are so poor…and I'm not riffraff!"

The DeSoto boy stared quizzically at Dewey for a second, and then extended his hand to Jerry. "Hewitt DeSoto. My offer to steer you towards the 'in-crowd' still stands."

Jerry hesitated for a moment, went in to shake Hewitt's hand, glanced at Dewey, and withdrew it. "I'm sorry, but I think I can tell the 'riffraff' for myself. Remember, low income does not riffraff make."

Dewey and Hewitt suddenly heard a cry of "Ziga Zagoon, Ziga Zagoon," but to Jerry it sounded more like a, _"Let me smack him across the face with an Iron Tail. I'd love to show him who the riffraff is…"_

Before Jerry could reply to his angry Zigzagoon's comments, Hewitt said, "Very well, if you insist. But if our paths cross again, you'd better hope you're not in my way. I have a rather excitable Poochyena who would love to sink his teeth into you."

That comment would have been very threatening if Hewitt had used words such as "easily irritated," or perhaps "quickly annoyed." Instead, he chose to use a word that can have another meaning, one often used to describe small children who have outgrown diapers but still wear training pants to bed at night. The result: Jerry, Dewey, and Spikes burst into a fit of laughter.

"OK, fine, just don't let him get 'excited' all over my new pants!"

_"If you're so rich, couldn't you pay to make him less excitable?"_

"I may be on the poor side, but at least I'm rich enough to teach my Pokémon how to use a toilet!"

"Your Pokémon knows how to use a toilet?"

"I don't have much time on my hands, so I taught my useless Wurmple how to use one…but if he uses it, he doesn't tell me. He doesn't do it in public, unlike Stinky the Wonder Pee-chyena!"

"That's enough! I challenge you idiots to a 2-on-2 Pokémon battle!" Apparently, Hewitt was getting pretty annoyed by all the teasing of his Poochyena…or maybe it was his poor word choice…never mind, the point is he was so upset about something that he didn't realize he only had one Pokémon with him. Some people never learn.

"Since you only have one Pokémon with you," Jerry eventually decided, "I'll battle you with my Zigzagoon. Spikes, get ready, power up the secret weapon you learned a few weeks ago!"

Hewitt released the Poochyena, who bared his fangs and growled at the Zigzagoon. _"Hello, puny prey. Prepare to meet my Poison Fang!"_

_"Oh, so you're 'specially bred?' Please, your toxic teeth won't be useful against my special maneuvers! Prepare to meet my…"_

"Waaaait!"

A girl, about five feet tall, came running over the hill. She was wearing a shocking-pink blouse with thin green stripes across the middle, which supposedly went with her green skirt and socks. Her sneakers were white and pink, and a solitary Pokéball was hanging from her skirt. Also around this skirt was a…well…it was kind of like a backpack combined with a belt, with pouches for everything from spare Pokéballs to TM's to regular items. Her straight, brown hair went down to her shoulders, and her deep blue eyes almost seemed to twinkle in the sun. To Jerry, she looked very pretty, but to Dewey and Hewitt thought she was rather annoying.

"I've just scanned both your Pokémon with my Pokédex, and your Poochyena isn't half as powerful as his Zigzagoon is. You'd be better off battling that boy's Wurmple, which should be approximately your level. My Cindy can handle the Zigzagoon."

"Excuse me miss…" Jerry began, but was interrupted by the girl again.

"My name is Catherine Braind, and my Skitty, Cindy, is the same level as your Zigzagoon, and she's just itching for a battle. May we?"

Dewey butted in. "On one condition: we make it a 2-on-2 battle. I say me and Jerry versus you and…Hewitt."

"Bring it on, then," replied Catherine, but Hewitt refused. "I'll not battle with some stupid girl."

(Author's note: This chapter is supposed to introduce and loosely develop the characters of Cat, Hewitt, and Dewey, and part of Hewitt's characteristics is his anti-feministic views and blatant sexism. I am not sexist in any way, but I needed Hewitt to be sexist to develop his character. The roots of this sexism are being shown now, but as he matures and his character develops, you'll see why I'm making him this way. Also, I'm loosely basing this fanfic off of Harry Potter, and Hewitt is basically equated to Draco Malfoy. I had to find some reason for him to hate the heroine, but don't worry, there's a reason for this, but I can't give it away now. It'll be discussed in a later fanfic. And now, back to the show.)

Catherine was about to pummel Hewitt, so Jerry held her back while Dewey explained to his nemesis the mathematical ramifications of the arrangement. Finally, Hewitt said, "Alright, I'll do it, but I won't like it."

* * *

The school day itself wouldn't start for another hour at around noon, so the foursome decided to have their battle on the front lawn, just in front of the main entrance. Other students, who were as of yet unwilling to enter the school or battle themselves, stood on the sidelines and watched. Jerry and Dewey stood five feet apart from each other, looks of determination on their faces. Twenty feet from them stood Catherine and Hewitt, the latter trying hardest not to look at the former. Another student was acting as referee, saying, "This match will be a two-on-two double battle, with each participant using one Pokémon. There will be no time limit, and the match will start now." 

Jerry and Hewitt had already released their Pokémon (Hewitt's Poochyena was called Fang), so Dewey and Catherine were the only ones who needed to release theirs.

"Alright, Pickles, come on out!" shouted Dewey as he tossed his Pokéball.

"Pickles?" asked Jerry, Hewitt, and Catherine in unison.

"Don't ask," replied Dewey.

"If you say so…Cindy, come on out!" shouted Catherine as she tossed her Pokéball, a Skitty coming out.

_"Hello, sweet thing,"_ said Spikes. _"What do you say we skip this battle and head out on our own?"_

_"Oh, knock it off,"_ replied the Skitty, _"or I'll freeze you alive with a Blizzard."_

"Begin the match!" shouted the student referee.

* * *

Within five minutes, the Pokémon had simply abandoned their trainers' commands and were fighting on their own. Those first five minutes consisted of nothing but weak attacks and dodging on the part of all the Pokémon. In fact, the only occurrence of interest is when one of Cindy's Blizzard attacks missed completely and froze Dewey within the first thirty seconds. Everybody toned down their attacks after that, which the Pokémon resented. Finally, the Pokémon only listened to their trainers if they agreed on which attack to use, but eventually the trainers just stopped commanding. 

The battle really started to heat up when Fang ignored orders and used his "special move" on Pickles: Poison Fang. It would have hit, too, but Spikes chose a rather unorthodox method of saving his trainer's friend's Pokémon: an Iron Tail to Fang's face. It caught the Poochyena in the mouth, but the Poison Fang clamped down on the tail. Both Pokémon suffered minimal damage from each other's attacks, but Cindy took this as an opportunity to fry…excuse me, freeze…everybody using a Blizzard attack. Spikes, Pickles, and Fang were all hit by the Blizzard, taking a lot of damage on their parts, and Hewitt decided to have Fang finish off Dewey's Wurmple once and for all. He ordered a Tackle, and Fang obeyed; he ran in to destroy the little bug, but was stopped.

Spikes had taken the most damage from the Blizzard; almost half of his HP. However, he was not going to let that nice Wurmple be destroyed by that pathetic excuse for a Poochyena. First, he used Belly Drum, maxing out his Attack power in exchange for half his original HP. This left Spikes with little strength left, but he had something special on his side: a special ability that allowed him to "Pick Up" any items he found, such as berries, regular items, and even TM's. He'd recently picked up a Sitrus Berry, which Spikes quickly ate, restoring him to nearly full health. To finish off these maneuvers, he fired a Pin Missile at Fang. Since Dark-Types are weak against Bug-Type attacks, and Pin Missile is a Bug-Type attack, you can guess what happened. Fang was knocked out, and Pickles turned to Spikes and said, _"You saved me!"_

_"It was nothing. I was gonna use it anyway."_

_"You freak! You monstrous common mutant! I can't believe you actually had the nerves to flirt with me, a pure-blooded Skitty! First a Poochyena knowing Poison Fang, and now a freak Zigzagoon who knows moves ahead of his time! Cat said you and I were at the same level, Level 13! Either you made the Pokédex misread you, and you're really a higher level, or you are a MUTANT FREAK! What kind of monster are you?"_

Jerry had heard all of this, and despite his happiness at Spikes finding a friend, he was shocked by the Skitty's comments. He shouted to Spikes, "Take her out with an Iron Tail, NOW!"

But it was too late. Getting an idea from Spikes flirting with her, Cindy used Attract, hoping to stop the Zigzagoon from attacking. However, he took his attraction too far; Spikes rushed at Cindy in an attempt to kiss her. She shrieked (_"AAAAAHHHHH!_), accidentally coughing up a Blizzard attack that made contact with Spikes just as he made contact with Cindy in his attempt to smooch. This resulted in a rather interesting effect: Spikes was frozen solid, and Cindy was stuck to the ice. On the advice of Catherine ("Jump into the air and Tackle the ground!"), Cindy tried to physically destroy the ice, but to no avail. Panicking, she shouted, _"AAAAHHH! I'M GOING TO HAVE THIS MUTANT FREAK STUCK ONTO ME FOREVER! HELP MEEE!"_ However, to everybody except Pickles and Jerry, it sounded like a long, loud "MEEEOOWWW!"

Pickles looked at his frozen battle partner and friend, thought about things for two seconds, and finally said, _"My friend saved me, and I'm saving him!"_

He opened up his mouth, pointed his head at the place where the ice met Cindy, and fired the mother of all Poison Sting attacks. This maneuver had three important effects that basically determined the outcome of the battle. First, it "defrosted" the ice surrounding Spikes, also separating him from Cindy. Secondly, it cured Spikes' infatuation for Cindy. Finally (and this was the clincher), the Poison Stings poisoned Cindy. It should be pretty obvious now who's going to win.

Having been freed from the ice, Spikes thanked Pickles profusely for saving him, and would have thanked him for the rest of the battle had he not noticed Cindy twitching in pain. Remembering her taunts about his parents, he did the only thing he could think of (considering the fact that the Blizzard attack had reduced his Hit Points to 2): Flail like heck. And since Flail works better when the user has less health, combined with the poison coursing through Cindy's veins, the battle basically ended about five seconds after Spikes' last attack. However, Cindy also had a special ability (of course she did, all Pokémon have a special ability; I was just too dumb to mention this earlier), and it worked to her advantage. Cute Charm, as this ability is called, infatuates the foe when the Pokémon with Cute Charm is struck by a physical attack, like Flail. Thus, Spikes had fallen in love with Cindy all over again, and was watching his "true love" about to faint. He wasn't about to let that happen, so he did the only thing he knew how to do: run to Jerry for help.

_"C'mon, Jerry, we gotta save Cindy! I don' want her to faint!"_ shouted Spikes as he rushed towards his trainer. He jumped into Jerry's medical kit, grabbed the only Full Restore, and rushed towards Cindy.

"Get back here with that! Those things don't grow on trees, you know!" yelled Jerry, who was now rushing after his little Zigzagoon. This little Zigzagoon was becoming quite troublesome, but Jerry realized this could only be expected. After all, Cindy's Cute Charm had put Spikes under an infatuating spell, and Spikes _had_ been known to overreact. This made Jerry think of "The Aipom Incident"…but Jerry decided not to think about that. I'd tell you about it, but…perhaps another time. Let's just say that Aipom probably wants a rematch after what happened…

* * *

In the meantime, Spikes had arrived at Cindy with the Full Restore. Now if he could figure out how to use it… 

_"Hello, my sweet, I have returned! This little liquid will make you right as rain…now let's see…to use it…perhaps if my stick my paw in this slot…but how to get the liquid out…"_ said Jerry, struggling to try and use the Full Restore, but he couldn't seem to figure it out. Some people can't, and neither could he.

Cindy, however, felt the poison take away her last bit of health, and knew the jig was up. But perhaps it was the poison that made her look at the desperate Zigzagoon standing over her, desperately trying to operate a Full Restore for her sake, and think that perhaps he wasn't such a mutant freak after all. He was trying to save her from fainting, something none of her opponents had ever tried to do for her, even when infatuated by her Cute Charm. It must mean that he had a heart…a heart she'd only ever seen in her trainer. She smiled up at the frantic Zigzagoon and said, _"Well, it looks like it's over, Spikes…thank you for everything, especially with the Full Restore. But the game is over, and it looks like you've won…"_ before finally giving out.

_"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"_ A cookie to whoever knows who said that.

* * *

"Cindy, return!" called Cat, extending her Pokéball. 

"Pickles, return!" called Dewey, extending his own Pokéball.

"Spikes, get back here with my Full Restore, or the only thing you'll see for the next week will be the inside of your Pokéball!" called a rather annoyed Jerry. Needless to say, Spikes came rushing back with the Full Restore; he rather disliked with great intensity…OK, hated…being inside his Pokéball.

Dewey, however, was beside himself; he had somehow managed to win his very first Pokémon battle. Granted, it was a tag-team battle, but still, the thought of actually winning was overwhelming for Dewey. It was so overwhelming for Dewey that he threw aside all dignity, jumped in the air yelling "Yahoo!" and nearly broke his leg in the rather awkward landing. He could only think of one thing afterwards, which he expressed verbally: "Alright, you two, hand over half your student credits each!"

"Student credits?" asked Jerry. "Can someone please bring me up to speed on that concept?"

Catherine sighed. "Student credits, Jerry, are a form of currency around here. When school actually starts, we get a certain amount of certain credits depending on how well we do on the entry test. Nobody knows anything about the entry test except those who create it, those who administer it, and those who have taken it, and they refuse to say anything on the matter to incoming students. We do know, however, that school credits can be spent at the school store, Totalo Mart Junior, where you can by everything from regular healing items to rather expensive TM's. Also, school rules state that if you lose a Pokémon battle, you must give half of the student credits you have on you to the winner. However, if you lose a lot, there is a bank where you can put spare student credits, where their number will increase at a rate of six percent; also, you will have ample opportunities to make more credits. Finally, there is a tournament at the end of our seventh year, known as the Battle Colosseum Tournament, where all seventh grader must turn in all of their credits before the start of the tournament, whether they are participating in the tournament or not. All battles held after that do not require you to turn over any credits if you lose. It's also rumored that depending on how many credits you turn in, you receive a special Pokémon that you cannot catch on school grounds. And, for your information, Dewey, neither Hewitt nor I hold any student credits yet, so neither of us can give you any. Wait until tomorrow, and then you can have a rematch if you want."

_"Let me out of here! I've got something important to do, and I don't want to hold it in any longer! I've been waiting since Dewey hatched me to do this, and I don't want to have to wait until I've reached Level 8! I swear, if he doesn't let me out of here…"_

Jerry was about to ask Cat about catching Pokémon on the grounds when he heard the cry from inside Pickles' Pokéball. Jerry turned to Dewey and said, "Hey, Dewey, I think Pickles wants out."

"What gives you that idea?"

"Well, Dewey, you hear that noise coming from Pickles' Pokéball?"

"Yeah, Jerry, what about it?"

"That's Pickles yelling he wants to come out."

"Alright, let's see what he wants…"

Dewey released Pickles onto the lawn, noticing he was slightly larger then before. Excitedly, Dewey cried, "He must've leveled up! I've heard that in double battles, both Pokémon gain experience when an opponent faints, so he must be at Level 7! And if he's at Level 7, and that means what I think it means…"

All of a sudden, everybody looked at Pickles. He was oddly glowing with a strange white light, and was changing shape…into that of some kind of cocoon…and stopped glowing…to reveal…

"I don't believe it! Pickles evolved into a Cascoon! Which means he'll evolve again into a Dustox! I don't believe this! Pickles, I've never been more proud of you in your lazy, worthless life! Somebody get me a Pokédex so I can look him up!"

"Dewey, since you're so overjoyed by Pickles' evolution, why don't you let me do the honors?"

Jerry took out his Pokédex, used the Field Scanner to scan Pickles, and turned up the volume so everybody could here the Dex entry.

**"Cascoon, the Cocoon Pokémon. Cascoon makes its protective cocoon by wrapping its body entirely with a fine silk from its mouth. Once the silk goes around its body, it hardens. This Pokémon prepares for its evolution inside the cocoon. If it is attacked, Cascoon remains motionless, no matter how much it is hurt; otherwise, it would be weak when it evolves. However, it will not forget the pain it endured before evolution. This Cascoon is at Lv. 7. This Cascoon knows Tackle, String Shot, Poison Sting, and Harden."**

"Well, that was the least informative thing I've ever heard, so I'll be leaving you losers to play with your toys and pathetic Pokémon," said Hewitt. As he turned to leave, Pickles used Harden, then Tackled Hewitt in the back. _"That ought to teach you to call me and my trainer 'losers,' ya big, stupid meanie!"_

Before Hewitt could retaliate, a tall woman came out of the front entrance of the school and shouted through a megaphone: "Attention all students, please report to the Dining Hall for lunch and the start of the 2005-2006 school year. Students who are entering the academy for the first time, please follow me, as I will be giving you your instructions on the entry exam."

Jerry, Spikes, Cat, Dewey, and Pickles all looked at each other. "Oh, boy," said Jerry, "Here comes our worst nightmare…"

* * *

Well, what do you think? Any and all reviews are welcome, especially about what Pokémon the trainers should have. I hope you all really enjoy this fanfic! 

Two new Pokémon were mentioned in Pokémon 101 this week, so I'd better introduce you to them. Larvunda, the Burrow Bug Pokémon,looks like a small, brown caterpillar, with only five body segments. It has compound eyes and long, thin antenna. It only can learn Tackle and String Shot, making the Totalo equivalent of Caterpie, but it's still useful for three reasons. The first one is that they're quite abundant about Totalo, so if you want to raise HP Effort Values, they're pretty useful. (If you don't know what Effort Values are, just go to http/ and go to the Game Mechanics section. If you don't need to know, don't bother.) Second, their final evolved form is second only to Ninjask in Bug-Type power. Finally, it can learn certain moves through breeding, such as TM's. Otherwise, don't bother with it; nobody in any of my stories (except minor characters) ever will.

The second Pokémon is Sheaver, the Cutting Pokémon. Basically, just think of a really small beaver with an underdevloped tail and shortened buck teeth. It's a normal type that can learn the HM Cut by leveling up, and it can also learn Sharpen, a move that raises Attack. They can be quite useful, especially if you need a Pokémon to know Cut and various other moves; its movepool (especially that of its evolved form) is quite large. I'm pretty sure it'll make at least a cameo somewhere along the line in the Totalo Academy series, but other than that I'm not sure.

As usual, time for a preview of the next chapter, To Torkoal Or Not To Torkoal. Jerry discovers that the entry test, though based on luck, is actually rather simple. However, the Torkoal he receives from it learned a few moves it shouldn't have learned, but hey, what's wrong with a few breeding experiments? Appearantly a lot, and after a little show-offiness in a battle, Jerry might lose his newest friend. Will he be able to save the Torkoal in time? You'll find out in the next chapter! Adios!


End file.
